From down in the boot of Italy comes a red pét-nat that blends two of Calabria’s historic varieties, Magliocco and Guarnaccia, rarely grown outside of a region that’s also suffered from a loss of population and, as a result, wine production. Antonello Canonico has been working on his own there since 2017, and his Nuva combines three different vintages (2018, 2019, and 2020), with last year’s grapes refermenting in the bottle to give the juice its fizz.

Crisp and light and Garnacha Blanca as you don’t normally taste it, with a very delicate bitter, herbal aspect. The brothers behind Celler Frisach, Francesc and Joan Ferré, have been working Garnacha in all its variations since 2009 and, after allowing the grapes a short time on the skins, they’ve managed to extract La Foradada: a wine with a very special balance that’s orange only by definition.

From one of our favourite Slovakian wineries, a family-run vineyard in the west of the country, the Supermajer is a medium-bodied orange made entirely of Grüner Veltliner—grapes with two weeks’ skin contact then aged in oak and acacia barrels for two years, bringing body and structure. It smells of straw and maybe the green stems of the grapes, while the taste brings in some orange, a good tang, but also a little salted caramel.

The fuller red of the box, but from a winemaker with a delicate touch. Atikete is a wine that manages to blend freshness with a little smoky spiciness for the colder days, mixing in some notes of sour cherry and ripe red fruit. The grapes were fermented in amphora for two weeks then aged for a year in oak barrels, and we’re happy to share the other side of the coin of Jordi Llorens, a man we otherwise love for his whites.

A young English winemaker who sent enough emails to become Radikon’s first ever intern, learning from the Italian masters of long-maceration whites. In 2020 she bought grapes from Vinyes Singulares in Spain for her own first vintage, searching for the same feel. The Xarel·lo gave her something else though, and this bottle instead became an homage to her friend and mentor Saša Radikon: a very full taste with some light honey, creaminess, and a touch of acidity. One to be cellared!

A light German red making heavy reference to the young project’s nearby neighbours, with 70% Pinot Noir replanted from French vineyards and 30% St. Laurent, all fermented in French oak barrels. On the nose it’s a touch more tannic and meaty, but a sweetness comes through in the mouth and there are a good few layers of flavour to work through, as light as the wine may be. Good to serve chilled!